2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
As you know, the Spirit has led us into a close look at the questions which arise from MT 4: 1-11. This is the story of Christ’s temptation in the wilderness in which Satan tempted Him with hunger, testing God, and offering Him earthly territory to induce Christ to worship Satan. We continue looking at the question: What can we learn from Christ’s handling of the devil in this episode? Yesterday, we began examining the devil’s behavior. Let’s carry on with that, and see where the Spirit leads us.
By trying to induce Christ to turn stones into bread [MT 4: 3, the devil was not only demanding a miracle, but he was insinuating the God was denying Him the staple of life. Bread in the spiritual sense symbolizes the source of spiritual nourishment as well as physical nourishment. We must remember that Christ Himself was referred to as the “Bread of Life” in JN 6: 35 & 51. Christ’s answer in MT 4: 4 is a reiteration of what was said by the Father in DT 8: 3. “But Jesus answered, ‘The Scripture [DT 8:3] says, ‘Man cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’” There are some words which to me have the same spiritual meaning, “Bread,” “Word,” “Light,” “Savior,” “Messiah,” “Christ.” We can get the idea. Of course, what I wrote previously about God’s distaste for people or spirits who try to demand a miracle still stands [MT 12: 39-40].
We must understand that sin has its roots in independent action, i.e. action without God’s leadership and participation. That is why God inspired Solomon to say in PR 3: 5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.” The action that Satan took in tempting Christ was definitely independent and not God-driven. This can be seen in MT 4: 6, “…If you are God’s Son, throw Yourself down, for the Scripture [PS 91: 11-12] says, ‘God will give orders to His angels about you; they will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’” What an arrogant and ungodly misuse for God’s word this is! Remember James’ words in JAS 4: 3, “And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures.” Isn’t that exactly what Satan was doing? God, through Timothy, has given us some guidelines for not taking independent action in 2 TIM 2: 24-26, “The Lord’s servant must not quarrel. He must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as he corrects his opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunities to repent and come to know the truth. And then they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who had caught them and made them obey his will.”
In MT 4: 9, the devil says to Christ after taking Him to the pinnacle of the temple where much territory could be seen, “I will give You all this power and all they wealth. It has all been handed over to me; and I can give it to anyone I choose.” It’s true that when the devil (in the form of the serpent) deceived Adam and Eve into committing the original sin, Satan did get dominion over the earth. But the book of Revelation tells us that Satan’s dominion is only temporary. Eventually, Christ will wrest it back into the hands of the Father [REV 5:5]. Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer, Who will avenge us, those whom Satan accuses. The moment that Christ gave up His physical life on the cross, Satan knew that his fate was sealed. We can bet that made him angry. REV 12: 12, “And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left.” To carry out God’s plan, Christ had to draw near to the Father, submit to Him, and resist the devil. Note the words of 1 COR 15: 45-49, “For the Scripture [GN 2:7] says, ‘The first man, Adam, was created a living being;’ but the last Adam is the life-giving spirit [RO 5: 15-16]. It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first Adam came from heaven. Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth; those who are of heaven are like the One Who came from heaven. Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth, so we will wear the likeness of the Man from heaven.” Satan’s plan to put his throne above God’s will never happen; that is God’s promise and the truth!
A special part of this promise is revealed in GA 3: 13-14, “But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the Scripture [DT 21: 23] says, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.’ Christ did this in order that the blessing which God’ promised to Abraham might be given the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.” This makes what we must do in our personal lives very clear. We must have obedient faith. Christ spoke about our directive in JN 14: 21, “Whoever accepts My commandments and obeys them is the one who loves Me. My Father will love whoever loves me; I too will love him and reveal Myself to him.” Satan and his followers will never fit that profile.
PRAYER: O Lord, in RO 1: 18-20 tells us why beings who have no faith in You also have no excuse for that. It is because You created them with a God-consciousness and with the ability to perceive what You created. They choose to ignore that and believe in what is created rather than the Creator. These are the people who become filled with Satan’s darkness, who engage in evil thoughts which translate to evil behavior. The devil tries to bring more and more people into his sphere of influence, which created the battles that all Your faithful must engage in with him and his followers. We have been allowed, through the Scriptures You gave us and the Holy Spirit to explains to us, to see how Satan deceives, lies, murders, and does all kinds of evil. His arrogance knows no bounds. Had You not sent Your Son to the cross, we would have had no effective defense against this wickedness. It would have ruled the world, leading all of us to destruction. But, because You did make this remarkable and life-given sacrifice of Your only Son, we have had the opportunity to come to faith. Out Your deeply loving heart, You not only made Christ’s Atonement come to pass, but You also empowered us for this battle with the devil with discernment from Your word and imbued us with the same power You used to raise Him from death to life to fight off Satan and his followers [EPH 1: 18-20]. We must acknowledge that and Your wonderful attributes and deeds throughout our history. You are a merciful, compassionate, righteous, just, and loving Deity Who takes care of His creation. We humbly offer our confession of sin and pledge You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving for all You do for us. In Christ’s holy name, amen.
Tomorrow’s message begins a new segment of this series on spiritual warfare, “Truth Matters.” We will begin looking at the relationship between God and believers to see how that relationship is the basis for success in spiritual warfare. I can’t imagine what it would be like if God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit weren’t in our lives. I don’t even want to think about it. And yet, we must examine what God reveals about our relationship with Him on earth and in heaven. All I can tell you is that God’s love is an integral part of the life of the believer. As demonstrated by Christ, we are given a Model to follow. As the driving force in our thinking, we will make godly decisions and have righteous attitudes. As the basis for our actions, we will perform good deeds and do God’s work. Our agenda will align with His agenda. That is one description of living “in Christ”-the lifestyle our Abba would choose for us. He is life-giving and His love can define our lives for eternity. Think about that. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn